Recovery from Abuse

Please note the tagline which says "for pastors and other religious professionals." That is the primary intended audience for this site. I know that many non-pastors will spend time on this site. But it will explain a lot if you keep in mind that the site was written primarily with pastors in mind.

This is a work in progress. Additions, suggestions, complaints, rants, fatwas, feedback and what-ever are welcome and can be submitted using our contact page Most of the material on this site began with lectures presented in a class entitled "Pastoral Care and Abuse" at Fuller Theological Seminary. So. . . expect it to feel like the kind of thing pastors-in-training might need. You will notice in particular that much of the recommended reading is books or articles from theological journals that would be difficult for the average reader without a theological education. Also expect it to feel very protestant and generally evangelical (or post-evangelical, semi-evangelical, quasi-evangelical) in tone — if these things are ‘triggers’ for you, I encourage you to do what you need to do to take care of yourself. You and your well-being are far more important than anything you will find on a web page. Practice good self care.

This site is NOT intended to be "everything a therapist needs to know" about abuse. It does not, for example, discuss the relative merits of different therapeutic strategies. For that you will need to look elsewhere.

I hope you will find something here that is helpful.

May your roots sink deeply in the soil of God’s love,

Dale Ryan